Bill Lusk | WVOW Sports
WEBSTER SPRINGS Owen Bryant, Jaxon McClung and Tanner Akers combined on a four-hit shutout as the Logan Senior League All Stars defeated Central Greenbrier 4-0, Saturday morning in the West Virgina Senior League State Tournament at Don E. McCourt Field.
Bentley Williamson and Jayce Wolfe each drove in runs for Logan in the third and fifth inning and Crew Blankenship had two hits including a double and scored two runs as Logan moved into Saturday’s winners bracket contest against host Webster County at 5 p.m.
Bryant earned the win for Logan after laboring through 4 2/3 innings. He allowed two hits, struck out nine and walked seven. McClung worked two innings allowing two hits and striking out three while Akers struck out the only batter he faced in the seventh.
Central Greenbrier, who will face the Hedgesville-Sophia loser at 11 a.m. Sunday morning, had opportunities early and often against Logan, leaving eight runners on base, four in scoring position and were 1-for-6 with four strikeouts and one double play with runners in scoring position Saturday.
Of Bryant’s nine strikeouts, none were more than the pair of back-to-back strikeouts he had to end the second and third inning leaving the bases full of Central Greenbrier runners.
Defensively Logan turned three double plays one each in the first, fourth and sixth innings but it was the double play in the fourth that turned the momentum back in Logan’s favor.
With Logan leading 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth and runners on first and third with one out for Central Greenbrier, Wyatt Thornton lofted a fly ball to left field that was caught by Grayson Sanders, who threw home to cut down Josiah Spencer at the plate for the third out.
Logan scored all the runs it would need in the third inning. Blankenship started the scoring when he crossed the plate after Williamson reached on an error for a 1-0 lead and Wolfe with a sacrifice fly to center field scoring Landon Hall.
The same quartette found themselves in the middle of a two-run Logan fifth that extended the lead to 4-0.
Blankenship doubled with one out, Hall was hit by a pitch and catcher Alton Ellis walked to load the bases for Williamson, who walked to score Blankenship for a 3-0 lead. Following a pitching change, Wolfe grounded out to first base scoring Hall and making it 4-0.
Central Greenbrier got two hits from Spencer including a double and one hit each from Brayden Terry and Wyatt Thornton.
Carson Koen started on the mound, allowing four runs – two earned – in 4 1/3 innings. He allowed five hits, struck out two, walked two and hit one batter in a losing effort. Braeden Teaney worked 2 1/3 innings of hitless relief striking out two, walking one and hitting one while Bodie Zickfoose worked an 1/3 inning of scoreless relief.
Akers, Hall and Sanders each had one hit for Logan.
West Virginia Senior League State Tournament
Don E. McCourt Field- Webster Springs, WV
Logan 4, Central Greenbrier 0
Logan 002 020 0- 4 5 1
Cen. Greenbrier 000 000 0- 0 4 1
Bryant, McClung (5), Akers (7) and Ellis. Koen, Teaney (5), Zickfoose (7) and Lynch. Top hitters- L: Blankenship 2-3, double, 2 runs; Sanders 1-2; Akers 1-3; Hall 1-2; Williamson 0-2, 2 RBI; Wolfe 0-2, 2 RBI. CG: Spencer 2-2, double; Thornton 1-2, Terry 1-3.
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